Joe Cahill

Joe Cahill (19 May 1920-23 July 2004) was chief of staff of the Provisional IRA during The Troubles.

Biography
Joe Cahill was born in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland in 1920 to an Irish Catholic family, and he came from a family that strongly supported Irish republicanism. In 1938, Cahill joined the Irish Republican Army, and he was imprisoned during World War II due to his involvement in the struggle against the British. He was released in October 1949, and he was again interned from 1957 to 1961 during the IRA Border Campaign. He resigned from the IRA in 1962 after it decided to take part in elections and end its armed struggle, and, following the 1969 riots in Northern Ireland, the IRA was criticized for failing to protect Irish civilians. In response, Cahill took part in the founding of the Provisional IRA later that year, and he took command of the Belfast Brigade in April 1971. He authorized the beginning of the IRA's bombing campaign in 1972, and he took part in talks with the Labour Party leader Harold Wilson. In 1972, he became the IRA's chief of staff, holding that position until his arrest a year later. He was put in charge of importing arms for the IRA, and he liaised with Irish-American groups and the Libyan government to this end, leading to his arrest by Ireland in 1973. He was later released, and went to the USA to acquire more arms, and he met with South Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger. He was deported from the USA in 1984 for illegal entry, and he served on the IRA Army Council as late as the 1990s. He was then made honorary life vice-president of Sinn Fein, and he was a strong supporter of Gerry Adams and the Good Friday Agreement. He died in Belfast in 2004 at the age of 84.